Social impact of open sources lifestyle?

Could the "open source" nature of our lives in the social media environment be pulling us away from what had been an increasingly private lifestyles? i.e. the hunkering down in our individual homes, with our nuclear family, no front porches, etc.

Net Augments real life

"The Internet augments real world life rather than providing an alternative to it." @cshirky in "Here Comes Everybody" #books #quotes

5 rules of community engagement

Good ideas here, they are consistent with a lot of our Social Capitalist principles.

http://ourblocks.net/5-rules-of-community-engagement/

From Social Capital to Social Impact

Strategies for turning social capital into social impact (from SCI AmeriCorps workshop winter 2010)

• Increase communication and have information [D1] available to all.
• Expand pre-existing networks
• Become an expert in the issue you are addressing; or at least learn enough to communicate about it, and find other subject matter experts you can tap.
• Localize a larger issue.
• Replicate and enhance past events.
• Develop clear objectives.
• Utilize the connectors in your network to expand your reach.
• Find groups with common goals and objectives who have a shared interest in the issue.
• Follow-up with groups and individual contacts made—follow-through on any commitments made, and be in touch proactively to further cultivate the relationship.
• Be willing to do small tasks to get objectives done.
• Ask your volunteers for help tapping their networks to get additional volunteers & resources.
• Expand your base of volunteers to have greater impact.

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[D1]There seemed to be a word missing from flipchart this is what I added.

Getting connected in new community

Strategies for overcoming a modest set of personal connections in the community you are serving (tips from Social Capital Inc. AmeriCorps group, winter 2010.)

• Tap, co-workers, supervisors—especially those that are “connectors”
• Connect through the outside contacts that you have made
• Utilize a database system and tools such as LinkedIn to maintain records of contacts over time, and find people who would be good contacts
• Attend community meetings—including finding some that you attend regularly so you really develop relationships and get a sense of who the connectors are in the group.
• Be willing to make cold calls, explaining who you are, what you do. Cold calls can turn into relationships.
• Cultivate relationships with connectors, expand your base of these key contacts.

Here Comes Everybody Notes

CS points out that the invention of the printing press did not cause revolution per se; rather, in created the conditions that made it possible. Luther's theses couldn't have been disseminated rapidly enough to have the kind of effect they did, without the invention of the printing press.

"Real revolutions don't involve orderly transition from point A to B. Rather, they go from A through a long period of chaos and only then reach B." 68

"Revolution doesn't happen when society adopts new technologies-it happens when society adopts new behaviors" 160

CS asks why there is so much drivel with online posts, citing examples of someone's stream of consciousness about their day....he puts it simply "they are not talking to you." it's as if you're eavesdropping on a conversation at a nearby table at a mall foodcourt. The thing is, such chatter is being done through the same medium as professional content.

>>This distinction is true to some extent, but I do see a lot more voices trying to essential be professional in this new medium too--Twitter is especially oriented this way (many people wind up with a much broader audience than friends/acquaintances); also can see in the abundance of quality blogs (e.g. how many food/wine critics are there now via blogging).

"Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about." Cory Doctorow

Shirky points out that part of what happens in communities with high social capital is "indirect" reciprocity. Reminds me of that point made by Prof. Putnam--he can benefit from neighborhood picnics even if he doesn't go.

MeetUp was created by Scott Heiferman specifically in response to his read of Bowling Alone.

The Internet augments real world life rather than providing an alternative to it.

Open source movement teaches us that the communal can be at least as durable as the commercial. 258

The systematic bias for continuity creates a bias for substandard results. (i.e. an organization or company's need to survive makes it opt for consistency, steady performers, and shun the risk and innovation that an open source system can tolerate. the open source system can have a lot of failures but from those attempts come the new innovation.

CONCLUDING PAGE:

The future belongs to those who take the present for granted.

Our social tools are dramatically improving our ability to share, cooperate & act together. As everyone from working biologists to angry air passengers adopts these tools it is leading to an epochal change.

Conversation/Content

Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about. Cory Doctorow

Change communication, change society

When we change the way we communicate, we change society. Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody

OTC team impact

We're up to 7,300 monthly visitors to our 4 community portals managed by SCI AmeriCorps members, up by 27% over the year. #impact

Hamlet's Blackberry

balancing being "connected" loosely/quickly and in more deep ways (i.e. not on facebook). how do deeper connections matter--also enhance the significance of our online connecting...prompted by W Powers talking about ideas in his book "Hamlet's Blackberry". elaborate on this theme

Keep on Learning

The most important attitude that can be formed is that of the desire to go on learning. John Dewey

Soul of the Community Survey

Excerpts from Knight Foundation "Soul of the Community" survey more @ http://www.soulofthecommunity.org/

"An area’s physical beauty, opportunities for socializing and its openness to all people provide the emotional glue that keeps residents happily entrenched, the study has found.

Yet the survey also delves deeper, to explore whether communities with more attached residents are better off. So far, two years of results have found a significant relationship between people’s passion and loyalty for their community and local economic growth. Researchers will examine this connection further in 2010."

Tracking impact of network connecting

Successive work days provide 2 examples of "leveraging my network"...thinking it would be good to track these more consistently both to serve as examples and try to track impact.

Friday Elaine called to discuss ILC need to find new space, quickly. Was her first call. We discussed a few ideas, agreed to put together a community network meeting to discuss further.

Monday saw this tweet below from Room to Grow, and forwarded it through a few channels to my network.

Room to Grow Bos has urgent need for Spanish books for ages 0-3, toothbrushes, & pjs. Donate new & nearly new items. http://bit.ly/b503d

Other recent network leveraging includes trying to get word out better about the free lunch program at Shamrock (no one there day 1; about 10 by weeks end)...outreach for that resulted in getting schools to make announcement via their parent phone system.

Also, in interesting example of Twitter dynamics, 2 people noticed my post about having been @PIH, including one who asked if I could help her make a connection there for a position she was seeking, which I will do.

Transience

Let us maintain ourselves between change's teeth, so that its gazing head full grasps us. Rilke, from "Transience"

Twitter resources

Don't know that I agree with the advice about following a few (I'm more a fan of reciprocity provided the follower has some relevancy to my interests)...but some good points and resources for analyzing one's twitter-based social networks.

http://thisisanawesomewebsite.com/2010/07/twitter-tip-for-networked-nonprofits-follow-the-few-to-get-to-the-many/